


Hating Him, Liking Her

by EquinoxSolstice



Series: Best of Both Worlds [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Jean, Eren is a literal babe, Established Levi/Eren Yaeger, Fluff and Humor, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Eren, Genderqueer Character, Jean has unrequited feelings, Multi, Possessive Boyfriend Levi, and suddenly finds them returned, pansexual levi, poor Jean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4143294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquinoxSolstice/pseuds/EquinoxSolstice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jean Krischtein meets Eren Jaeger for the first time, Jean thinks he is the loudest, most dickish asshole he has the greatest misfortune to meet. </p><p>When Jean meets Eren again, he splutters his drink over his shirt but he doesn't care, eyes bulging at the sight of the girl currently sitting on her boyfriend's lap.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck him sideways with a rusty poker, Eren is really, really <b>hot</b>.</em>
</p><p>In which Jean hates him but has the hugest fucking crush on her, Levi's a jealous boyfriend, and Marco's simply amused. </p><p>Eren doesn't get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hating Him, Liking Her

**Author's Note:**

> Another oneshot in this series, because I simply adore it. Jean's point of view this time, and because I love Jean, I also have the tendency to torture him constantly. I also ship him and Eren together, but not as much as JeanMarco and Ereri. I just have this headcanon that if Eren's a girl, Jean would have the hugest crush on her, not Mikasa. 
> 
> First time writing Jean and Marco, so excuse if it's OOC. Jean is bisexual (or, more accurately, polysexual), and Marco has single target sexuality. In layman's terms, he's Jean-sexual. Eren's genderfluid, Levi's pansexual, and the rest of the characters I'll reveal in the next parts if ever I get the inspiration to do some more. 
> 
> Non beta'd, present tense, so excuse if there are lapses in grammar. 
> 
> Also, I have a [tumblr](http://equinoxsolstice.tumblr.com).

When Jean Kirschtein follows his best friend, Marco Bodt, to Shinganshina for work after college, he's completely unsurprised when Marco mentions that he has new friends and he'll like it a lot if they can meet his childhood friend. 

Marco's basically Freckled Jesus, it's easy for him to make friends, and he's the sweetest, most easy-going guy Jean has met. Jean knows full well that he's an asshole, it comes with the territory of being an only child with an absent bad and an over-doting mother. He meets Marco when they are four and they've been attached by the hip ever since, or so Mrs. Bodt likes to tease him. And why shouldn't she, it's practically true, and Jean can admit to having withdrawal symptoms when Marco left him in Trost. He misses Marco being around, even if he doesn't admit it to anyone's face, and part of the reason why he decides to fuck it and pack his bags to Maria Country's capital is because Marco isn't there, even if they are already living in one of the more advanced cities in the world. 

Yes, he's well aware that it's like a cheesy, badly written chick flick, but hey, unrequited love makes you do stupid, stupid things, and there's nothing Jean won't do for Marco.

So here he is, miles away from home in a city he knows fuck all about, all because he's a freaking pussy who can't bear to be away from his best friend. Jean sighs as he ducks into the restaurant that Marco texts him about, looks around, and can't quite stop the affectionate quirk on his lips the moment he sees the familiar black head sitting with a fairly large group of people. 

Man, he has it _bad_ for Marco. Jean winces at the thought. 

And before Jean can call out to him Marco's already turning his head back and finally sees him. Maybe they have a mild form of best friend-telepathy, Jean thinks, because the instinctive way Marco can sense him is just plain creepy. Marco's been doing it ever since they're kids and Jean never did get how Marco does it. "Jean!"

"Hey." Jean tries for a smile and it works, a little. It's impossible to not smile in Marco's presence, and his body's relaxing before he realizes it. "Sorry I got held up, work was a bitch." 

Sometimes it feels like his body has a huge crush on Marco that's completely separate from Jean himself. 

"No, it's okay! I'm just glad you made it." Marco's smile is warm and fond and Jean can't help the light flush on his cheeks. "Come on, I've gotten you a seat so you can meet everyone."

Jean's led to the large table, which is bigger than what he initially expects but is really not surprised to see. A chorus of "Hi"s and "Nice to meet you"s sound out, with the less verbal people merely inclining their heads in acknowledgement. 

"Everyone, this is Jean, my childhood friend from back home, he just transferred to Rose this year. Jean, these are my friends." Marco introduces them one by one, the perpetually hungry Sasha, friendly athletic Connie, cheerful big-guy Reiner, tall nervous Bertholdt, silent aloof Annie, snarky freckled Ymir, actual goddess Krista (who prefers her real name, Historia), blond genius Armin, and the quiet gorgeous Mikasa (Jean can't take his eyes off her, because seriously, her _hair_ ).  

And then there's Eren.

"Hi, Eren Jaeger, nice to meet you." Eren's sitting between Mikasa and Armin, blue-green eyes taking him in. He's lean, wearing a loose, gray shirt with dark jeans, with a checkered bandana on, leather bangles on his wrists. Something about him strikes Jean as odd, but he brushes it away, not wanting to have a bad impression because hey, if they are gonna be together for the next couple of years or so, the least he can do is to try and get along with them. 

And then things went to hell.

Jean doesn't exactly remember what sparks the argument, something about commenting about their mothers. Soon enough they're standing up and yelling in each other's faces, Eren's calling him Horseface and Jean's so pissed off his hand's curled into a fist and was completely ready to punch the asshole's face in if not for Marco holding him back, and Mikasa doing the same for her adopted brother, and Armin trying to diffuse the situation.

"Say that again Horseface! I fucking dare you!" Eren's eyes are vivid with rage, startling beautiful if Jean has the presence of mind to actually think about it. As it is, he's livid, he hates Eren goddamned Jaeger's face so much right now, and he wants to fucking ruin it with his fist.  

"Fuck off, Jaeger! Let go! Let's go right fucking now!" 

"Guys, stop! You're going to get us kicked out!" Armin pleads with them while Reiner's already doing some fast talking with the waiter who's already calling the guards. 

To be completely honest, Jean doesn't know how he and Eren ended up like that. Eren seemed like a nice enough guy at first glance but when Jean think about it, something about Eren just rubs him the wrong way. Maybe they aren't meant to get along, their personalities completely crashing and burning. 

"Eren has a boyfriend," Marco tells him later on, after that spectacular disaster of a dinner and Jean's ears are still ringing from the lecture Marco gives him minutes earlier. "And if you punch his face his boyfriend's going to be out for your blood. I'd rather have you alive." He continues mildly, back to his usual self, and Jean never, _ever_ wants to make Marco mad again. 

"I don't like him. He's a dick." Jean huffs, ashamed but refusing to admit defeat. "He called me freaking Seabiscuit. He had that coming." And he insults his mom, but then again, Jean's the one who starts it first.

"Eren can be little... intense, sometimes. And tactless," Marco admits, "but he's a really nice guy when you meet him. Give him a chance Jean, he's not that bad." 

"Well, he didn't give _me_ a chance, so why the hell should I?!" Something about the way Marco phrases it makes Jean narrow his eyes a little, interest piqued. "Wait, what do you mean, 'when you meet him'?"

Marco only shakes his head. "It's not something for me to tell. It's easier to see what I mean when you see her." There's a secretive smile on his lips and Jean's suddenly filled with foreboding. Damn it, now he's just confused. "'Her'? Marco, what the hell are you talking about?" 

Marco merely smiles as they walk back to the dorms.

"You'll see." 

* * *

Jean doesn't get it until they all get together again the next weekend. 

It's a Saturday and they're working, young adults too stressed about their respective careers, so everyone sent everyone a mass text invite to the Garrison, a bar famous as the go-to place for people who want to get completely shitfaced, for a couple of shots and then going to the Legion, an infamous club a couple of blocks over, for a night of partying and dancing. Jean's always up for drinking and having one-night stands, so he gets ready to get completely thrashed and meets Marco at the nearest block before heading out into town.

As usual, Marco looks eatable in his simple button-up and pants and Jean has to pay attention to the road lest he makes a fool out of himself. God, this is a really bad idea, worst case scenario being him clinging to Marco helplessly while babbling about his unrequited feelings. Hopefully Marco won't take him seriously, he knows Jean's a talkative drunk. 

The Garrison isn't what you expect at first glance, all dark wood and smoky atmosphere, but there's good music streaming through the speakers and the place was alive with babbling crowds having casual conversations with the occasional vodka pong and beer drinking competitions in the corner. They all pile into the nearest table and sit down, getting the menu and readying themselves to get drunk the way only working young adults can. 

"Where's the others?" Marco asks as they order their drinks, beers for the first hour, transitioning into hard liquor later on when they're in the club. Jean has a feeling that his liver's not gonna survive going with Marco's friends, considering the number of buckets Sasha ordered without preamble. 

"Ymir and Historia are not coming, it's their date night, Eren went to pick up Levi, and Mikasa's on the way with Annie." Armin answers for them, eyes on his phone as his thumbs move to answer a text, probably Eren, seeing as what he says next is, "Eren finally convinced Levi to come with us." 

"Really?" Bertl asks in surprise while Jean blinks. "Levi?" Jean asks.

"Eren's boyfriend. He doesn't usually come with, sometimes he has too many papers to grade." Reiner says after swallowing a mouthful of beer. "And that 'he doesn't want to be seen with a bunch of brats'." He snickers. 

That's certainly news to him. "He's dating a _teacher_?"

"One of the college profs, actually, in Shinganshina University. We've already graduated, so it works out for them. Besides, Levi's really young for a prof, he's like, what, late-20's? He's taking his Masters, right?" Connie waves a french fry around as he explains. After getting sounds of agreement, he continues. "And besides, Levi is Mikasa's older half-brother. They have this really complicated family history-thing that you really don't want to know." He shrugs. 

"Huh..." Jean files that away for consideration, and watches as Armin's phone beeps in another message and his eyes widen considerably. He texts a quick reply, shows the message to the rest of the group except for him, and almost as one, their heads turn simultaneously in his direction.

Seriously, being stared at is extremely uncomfortable.

"... What?" He finally asks.

"Oh, man," Reiner's shaking his head in sympathy, downing his bottle completely. "You'll finally meet her, huh?" 

"Her?"

"Uh-huh. Oh damn, I can't wait to see his reaction." Connie sounds just plain gleeful, and Jean is really disturbed. 

"Oh, come on, she's nice. And pretty," Sasha added, "and really, really sweet. Levi's really lucky to have her."

There it is, the elusive 'her', someone Marco mentions just the once after he and Eren has their first fight. Jean doesn't hear Marco mention her again but it's still weird, being included in a group that has an inside joke he really doesn't get. One thing he's sure of, however, is that she's connected to Eren in some way. He's curious, but he doesn't ask. And the various times he meets Eren again they both make sure to stay clear away from the other, knowing the sparks for another flame are still there.

"It's strange though, that she wants to be here when we have someone new." Bertl looks at him in worry, and okay, Jean's pretty fucking lost right now. 

"Um, pardon me for asking, but what the flipping hell?" Jean's seriously starting to get pissed off. He doesn't know if this is their idea of a joke but it's really not funny. "You know I don't have any idea what you guys are talking about." 

"Guys!" A familiar and yet not-so-familiar voice reaches his ears, and he turns around. 

"Eren!" Armin stands up and meets them and Jean can feel his eyes widening, throat bobbing as he tried to breathe and drink at the same time, choking on his beer and getting it all over his shirt but not really caring.

It's Eren. But at the same time, it's _not_ Eren, and Jean knows that it's Eren because who else can it be? Long, brown hair. Shorts. Boots. Fucking _breasts_. Gorgeous eyes, slim waist, long, tan legs. Either Eren has a twin sister Jean doesn't know about because the other road of thought, the one Jean's trying so hard not to think about right now, is completely, totally impossib--

"Eren, hi!" Marco's the next in line, leaning forward just as he(???) tilts up and presses a kiss on Marco's cheek, with Marco blushing faintly afterwards, putting nail in the fucking coffin of Jean's dashed away dreams and hopes. "Levi's gonna get angry at me if you do that Eren, you know that."

"Levi doesn't mind if it's you since I'm not your type." Eren says sweetly and holy fuck, this-this _girl_ is definitely not Eren because the Eren Jean knows is loud, angry and a complete bastard. Not... not someone like _her_! 

"If it's you Bodt, I don't really mind. The other brats? Not so much." A voice says behind them. "Fuck, I need a drink. Braun, gimme a bottle. Eren, what do you want?"

Reiner grins and goes to follow orders, causing Jean to follow the voice and finally seeing its owner. 

Short. Dark. And someone who can kill you with a single look, if those laser-sharp irises sweeping up and down at him are of any indication. He was dressed sharply, long, collared button-up, slacks and leather shoes. Handsome, but not conventionally so. Shorter than the average guy as well, hell, _Eren's taller than him._ Personally Jean thinks Levi looks more like a serial killer, but shuts his mouth because he doesn't want to test that theory yet. 

Jean swallows thickly. So this is the infamous boyfriend. 

"Eren." The man who is apparently Levi spoke up, touching Eren by the waist and making him(her?!) look at him. The man tilts his head in Jean's direction and Eren follows his gaze until it rests on him. Jean's brain completely flatlined, knowing, at the back of his mind, that he looks completely stupid, that Connie's laughing his ass off his chair, but seriously, is this a practical joke?  

"Okay, so I may not have reacted well," He--fuck,  _she_ winced, fidgeting so self-consciously and Jean's jaw was dropping so widely it was all but resting on the floor. "Since you don't know about, well, _me_ , so I'm just saying... sorry, Horseface." She huffed. She held out a hand. "Truce?"

Jean still can't speak. Marco nudges him in the rib, whispering in his ear. "Jean, say something, it's rude to keep a girl waiting."

Girl?! Last time he checked (not literally, but, you know) Eren's a guy! A dude! A gay guy, even, but still a guy! He _is_ a guy, Jean's sure of it! But then he recalls the way Reiner magnanimously offers his seat to Eren, getting him--shit, _her_ the same cocktails that Sasha orders, the way Sasha kisses her cheek and starts a conversation about the cafe and spa day all the girls are going to next week, the way Armin and Bertl hover almost protectively over them, not to mention the way Levi just pulls her casually into his lap, so that Reiner gets his seat back again. 

And the one thing that's fucking with Jean's mind the most is that the rest of them think that this is completely, totally normal. 

"Holy fucking shit you're pretty," he blurts out instead and watches Eren's face turn into a bright shade of red, and Levi's face darken considerably. 

"Hey asshole, go hit on another person's girlfriend, not mine." 

Eren laughs awkwardly, and shit, Jean knows his face is heated up too. What the hell was he thinking, hitting on a girl when her guy's in direct hearing range?! "... Right. Um. Thanks, Jean. Anyway, this is Levi, my, um, boyfriend."

"... Hi." Jean says weakly. Fuck, he's gonna die. He's gonna die without confessing to Marco but goddamnit, Eren's really freaking beautiful and Jean gets verbal diarrhea if he faces a pretty girl, can you really blame him?  

"Nice to meet you." Levi says shortly and Jean doesn't stop the wince when Levi crushes his hand with a grip of the man of steel. He deserves that and Levi knows it too. 

"Sorry Levi, Jean just gets like that when he meets a pretty girl, and you know Eren's one of the prettiest." Suddenly Marco is by his side, sliding an arm around him and _what?_

"It's true Levi, he's tongue-tied around Mikasa too." Connie adds, with tears of mirth in his eyes. "He's not hitting on her, don't worry."

"Better not. I'm warning you, Krischtein. One hand on my woman or my sister, I'll chop your balls off." Levi says simply, and Jean's nodding before he's aware of it. He's never touching Eren without a ten foot pole again. Levi just huffs, still giving him the evil eye, while Eren just turns redder.

"Levi!"

"What? You're gorgeous, you're mine, and this new brat needs to learn his place." Levi's eyebrow is raised slightly, looking up at her.

"Besides, he's taken." Marco continues serenely, tilting his face so he nuzzles the side of Jean's head, and his brain finally implodes. 

"Aihf--I--Um--Ah--What." Jean's head whips toward Marco so fast he's half sure he's broken his neck. Marco's looking at him, with eyes full of warmth and bright with humor masked by faked hurt.

"What? Jean, are you dumping me already?"  

Jean splutters. He doesn't know what's going on anymore. "I mean, I don't--When--I mean, uh-- _No._ "

Marco beams, and Jean distinctly feels like he just saw God descend from the Heavens. Around them the rest were trying to rein in their amusements, while others (Connie, Reiner) aren't trying at all. "Then it's settled. No maiming of each other's significant others, that's in the rules."

Levi rolls his eyes but concedes, paying attention again to the woman on his lap, and Jean can't help but feel like the universe played a huge prank on him.  

Eren is a girl. But Eren's also a guy. Eren also has a boyfriend who's scary as shit and who won't hesitate to cut off his limbs and throw him in a ditch if even a thought of getting Eren's attention passed through his mind. 

And now, apparently, he just gets himself a boyfriend too. 

Seriously, what the flying fuck just happened.

"Marco, this is--I don't-- I can't even--"

Marco just laughs softly and presses a kiss to his cheek. It tingles.

"You'll get used to it." He says as he greets Mikasa and Annie, who just arrives, and Jean has a horrible feeling that he never will. 


End file.
